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Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Holmes Adventures Part 2: 221B Baker St.

During the time of the publication of the Sherlock Holmes short stories and novels there was no 221B Baker Street address. While there was a Baker Street, the street only had addresses up to number 85 Baker Street. In the 1930's the streets were realigned and Sherlock fans got their dream fulfilled of actually having a building located at the world famous address.

After entering the house and heading up the stairs...

...you enter a recreation of Holmes study and the place where he received many of the clients and solved many of the mysteries from the stories.

Holmes' favorite violin and chemistry set are also on the table ready to use.

I was disappointed to find that the museum's gift shop didn't have a miniature Napoleon statue for sale but they did have a mini tobacco slipper. During our visit to Paris I was able to find a mini Napoleon bust that will serve as a nice placeholder.

On the top floor of the museum you will find wax figures of some of the more memorable characters from the stories including Professor Moriarty. Here he is seen as his traditional personification as an older gentleman, which is my personal favorite of all the variations...[*Spoilers ahead*]..the Robert Downey Jr. movies have him literally as a university professor, the new BBC Sherlock series has him as an impossibly young man, and the CBS drama Elementary portrays him as...wait for it...an impossibly young woman. [*Spoilers done*]

And they also had Jabez Wilson, the man who brings the mystery of the Red Headed League to Sherlock and Dr. Watson. This is my personal favorite of the short stories and in the Jeremy Brett TV series from the 1980's they added that the mastermind behind the plan was Professor Moriarty which isn't in the original story.

There he sits being paid to copy out the Encyclopedia Britannica while a master plan was being hatched at his small shop.

Later that same day we also took a walking tour amongst some of the remaining locations found in the Holmes stories that have survived in modern London and I'll highlight those in Part 3 of my Holmes Adventures.